How RR’s Smart Tech Touch Supercharged Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s Batting?

Vaibhav Suryavanshi is still a work in progress. At just 14 years old, he’s already notched up a hundred in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and made his debut for India ‘A’. However, there’s still plenty of room for growth. The Rajasthan Royals (RR) recognized this before they placed their bid for him at the IPL 2025 auction. 

In a competitive bidding war with the Delhi Capitals, RR secured Suryavanshi for INR 1.10 crore. For someone so young, this left-handed batsman showcased remarkable power, effortlessly sending the ball over the boundary. But RR understood that there was more to his game that could be enhanced not just through traditional coaching methods, but also by leveraging technology. 

How RR helped Vaibhav Suryavanshi sharpen his timing 

Initially, Suryavanshi found himself on the sidelines during the early matches of IPL 2025. However, when Sanju Samson got injured, he stepped into the spotlight and made an explosive entrance. But this wasn’t just luck; a lot of preparation had gone into it. 

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Giles Lindsay, RR’s Director of Strategy & Analytics, shared that batting coach Vikram Rathour had dedicated four months to work with Suryavanshi, focusing on refining his batting skills. They utilized a cutting-edge bat technology tool called Str8bat, which revealed that while the teenager had an impressive bat swing, there were other aspects like timing that needed fine-tuning. 

Here is what Lindsay told Cricbuzz:

“We’re really fortunate to have tools like Str8Bat and FullTrack.ai that support that objectivity I was talking about. Str8Bat, for example, helps us understand batting performance through a sensor. We knew when we first saw Vaibhav Suryavanshi before the auction last year that he had an exceptional bat speed of 95 kilometres per hour, but his timing efficiency could improve. Through some focus work with Vikram Rathour (and the bat sensor – Str8bat), he actually increased it by 12% over four months at our high-performance centre before the start of IPL 2025,” 

Additionally, RR employed AI trackers during practice sessions to analyze both batters and bowlers. From pitch maps to swing and spin data, this technology equipped coaches with insights to help players improve in areas where they were struggling. 

Ultimately, Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s journey illustrates how raw talent combined with the right mentorship can lead to success. RR didn’t rush him or force him to change his natural style. Instead, they concentrated on making small adjustments, particularly to his timing, by blending expert coaching with modern technology.

The results were evident when he finally got his chance in IPL 2025 and made an immediate impact. At just 14, Suryavanshi has a long road ahead, but RR’s patient approach has laid a solid foundation. If nurtured properly, he has the potential to become something truly remarkable.